Episode 208: Refunds for Losses/More Catching Questions/DHs and Defensive Positioning/Most Pitchers in an Inning
Date May 22, 2013 Summary Ben and Sam answer listener emails about refunds for team losses, catcher receiving, defensive positioning, and more. Topics * Refunding fans for losses hypothetical * Is catcher framing 'real'? * Most pitchers used in an inning * DH rules * Defensive positioning * Podcast planning Intro The Simpsons, 'Think Differently' sound clip Banter This week Ben & Sam received more emails than ever before. Email Questions * Mark: "Wouldn't it be great if we didn't have to pay for games that our team loses? It's hard enough to sit through a game where our team is 2-hit and nobody reaches third but to pay for it is just wrong. So here's my idea: double the price of all tickets, let people choose to buy either a home ticket or an away. If the corresponding team loses the ballclub would refund or credit the entire price. No more post game 'our club was a little down today but that's OK because you guys paid for it anyways' attitude for the team." * not given: "What is the origin of the term 'catcher framing'? Is it because the catcher's body forms a frame around the ball like a portrait or because the catcher is framing the batter to look like he just passed on a strike?" * Adam: "If an automated strike zone was implemented you would see massive changes in the ways guys play the position. Instead of squatting with your butt above your ankles to avoid blocking the umps, would you see more catchers standing close to a 90 degree angle with runners on to get in better position to throw out base stealers? Could you see catchers turn sideways?" * Matthew: paraphrases the start of the question as being about base rate fallacy..."happens when the values of sensitivity and specificity which depend only on the test itself are used in place of positive predictive value and negative predictive value which depend on both the test and baseline prevalence of the event...jumps ahead...In this case, the questions we need to be able to answer in order not to have been suckered into this fallacy are: 1) how often would a given pitch, though we know it to be outside the strike zone, be called a strike anyway by an average ump with an average catch behind the plate 2) how many missed calls either way are really left once we take out the standard variance in umpire performance. We have so much data these days it is difficult to sort signal from noise, is it possible? The alluring specificity and nuance of catcher framing is distracting us from the fact that most stolen or lost strikes are the result of umpires, random chance, or twitches that don't actually reflect a catcher's baseline receiving skills?" * Lane: "We've all heard of a team batting around and having every hitter in the lineup bat in the same inning. Has a team ever pitched around and had every member of its bullpen pitch in the same inning? If not, what's the closest a team has ever come?" * Anthony: "Has a team ever DH-ed for a player other than the pitcher? I don't mean pinch-hit but let the pitcher hit and regularly bat for a position player. On a team with Brendan Ryan and, say, the 2013 version of Wes Ferrell it seems like it would at least be an option." * John: "As you've noted several times having a career involved with baseball has altered your relationship with the game. I was wondering if ''hosting this podcast ''notes use of italics for the last 10 months has had a similar effect? As the co-host of a podcast I can say that's happened to me but I can see how this might not be the case for you guys as you've already had to change your perspective in this manner. Do you aim to avoid covering the same topics on the podcast that you write about?" Notes * Sam says that Mark's question is his favorite email received so far. * An obvious problem with Mark's proposal is that you may incentivize fans to root against their team. * The first reference to catcher framing in the Dixon Baseball Dictionary is in the mid 1990s. * Adam's question is a follow up from Episode 205. * The record for most pitchers used in one inning is six, by the 1983 Oakland Athletics. It was during the 9th inning and they gave up 10 runs. * It is illegal to DH for a player besides the pitcher. * What would baseball look like if players could not freely roam the field, but were confined to specific areas near their position? Links * Effectively Wild Episode 208: Refunds for Losses/More Catching Questions/DHs and Defensive Positioning/Most Pitchers in an Inning Category:Email Episodes Category:Episodes